Sen. Richard Shelby will return to the U.S. Senate for a fifth term after easily dispatching Democrat William Barnes in Tuesday's election.

The Associated Press declared Shelby the winner soon after the polls closed, indicating he won by a large margin.

Shelby, 76, the dean of Alabama's congressional delegation and one of the veterans of the U.S. Senate, has coasted to easy re-elections with a combination of conservative policies, occasional populism and an ability to send hundreds of millions of dollars back to the state for defense, university research and construction projects. He's also a prodigious fundraiser, scaring away challengers with a campaign account that eclipsed $17 million this year.

"I am deeply grateful to the people of Alabama for electing me to a fifth term in the U.S. Senate," Shelby said in a prepared statement. "I will continue to listen to their concerns and fight for their interests as the Senate addresses the serious challenges our nation faces."